Metallic railway-tie.



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

METALLIC RAILWAY-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed December 22, 1906. $erial No. 349,030.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT LEE Moonnnan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Telluride, in the county of San Miguel and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Railway-Ties, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in metallic cross-ties and rail fastenings therefor; and it consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to providea rail fastening device which will be of simple, strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction, and which will effectively hold the rails against spreading, creeping and turning.

The above and other objects, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, are accomplished by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved metallic cross-tie, showing track rails secured thereon in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail vertical, longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, through one end of the tie; and Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section taken on the plane indicated by the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings by numeral 1 denotes my improved tie which is preferably in the form of a castmetal body of substantially rectangular form with enlargements 2 adjacent to its ends. These enlargements project upwardly from the top of the tie body and are recessed to provide seats for the track rails 3 and their fastening keys or wedges 4. The upper end of each enlargement is inclined downwardly and outwardly from its top to the bottom of one of the ends of the tie, as shown at 5 in Fig. 1; and the inner end of each enlargement is inclined downwardly and inwardly from its top to the upper surface or top of the tie body, as shown at 6. The transverse grooves or seats 7 formed in the enlargements 2 forthe reception of the track rails and their fastenings are of slightly less depth than the height of the track rails 3; and the outer wall 8 of each of the recesses or cavities 7 is shaped to conform to'the outer side of the rail placed in said recess. In other words, the outer portion of each enlargement is shaped to fit and engage the base flange, web, and bottom and side of the head of the rail, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, the upper edge of said portion being slightly beneath the top of the rail, as shown at 9 in said figure. This construction effectively supports the rail and strengthens it, and also prevents all possibility of the rail spreading outwardly.

I preferably, but not necessarily, form upon the walls 8 of the recesses 7 one or more laterally projecting studs 10 which enter transverse apertures or openings 11 formed in the webs of the rails 3. The openings 11 are sufficiently elongated to allow for the necessary expansion and contraction of the rails due to changes in temperature,but their engagement with the studs effectively prevents creeping of the rails. The studs 10 may be provided on one or both ends of the tie and a greater or less number may be provided at each end, but when the meeting ends of two of the rails 3 are secured in one end of the tie, as shown in Fig. 4, I preferably employ two studs, one for each rail end. The inner wall or side 12 of each of the seats or recesses 7 is formed with a groove 13 which extends transversely of the tie and is adapted to receive a similar-shaped tongue or rib 14 formed upon one side of the wedge key 4. The tongue 14 extends longitudinally upon one side of the key 4 and the opposite side 15 of the latter is shaped to fit and engage the base flange, web and under side of the head of the inner face of the rail 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The top of the key 4 is formed with a longitudinally extending groove 16 so that the flanges of the car wheels passing over the'rail will not engage said key, as will be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 3, in which a portion of a car wheel is indicated in dotted lines. The key 4 is in the form of a substantially rectangular block having a slight, longitudinal taper which corresponds to the inclination of the wall 12 and vertical wall of the groove 13. Upon reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the inner walls of the two seats in the tie are parallel, that is, they incline in the same direction so that the two wedge blocks or keys 4 must be inserted in said blocks or recesses from opposite sides of the tie. Thus the strain, due to vibration and the like, will be equalized. It will also be noted upon reference to Fig. 2 that the keys 4 are of slightly greater length than the width of the body of the tie so that they may be driven in to effectively wedge the parts into close contact, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus provide an exceedingly solid and rigid fastening.

When track rails are secured in accordance with this invention, it will be seen that they will be held firmly in position against spreading, turning and creeping. Owing to the engagement of the outer seats of the rails with the walls 8 of the recesses 7, it will be impossible for the rails to spread and at the same time they will be effectively supported and greatly strengthened. By giving the wedge blocks or keys 4 a slight taper, they can be driven tightly into place and will remain. there without the necessity of providing extra fastening devices. The overhanging portion of the wall 8 and the provision of the tongue 14 and groove 13 therefor, effectively prevent the rail and the wedge blocks from shifting and hence the rail from turning and shifting. The provision of the tongue 14 also prevents vibration from loosening the wedge or key and if desired, a greater number of the tongues 14 may be employed. It will be further noted that this device is exceedingly simple, strong and durable in construction, so that it may be manufactured at a small cost and may be quickly laid at a much less cost than devices heretofore used for fastening rails. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination of a metallic cross tie having adjacent to its ends upwardly projecting enlargements formed with transverse seats, said seats being of slightly less depth than the height of the track rails, and the outer Walls of said seats being shaped to engage the outer face of the base flange, web and head of the track rail, said outer walls being also formed with laterally projecting studs, track rails in said seats and engaged with said outer walls, said rails having their webs formed with transverse seats to receive said studs, the inner walls of the first-mentioned seats being formed with longitudinally extending grooves, and wedge blocks inserted in said seats from opposite sides of the tie and formed upon their inner faces with longitudinally extending tongues to en gage said grooves, said blocks having their outer faces shaped to flt the inner faces of the track rails, said blocks also having their tops formed with longitudinally extending grooves or channels to receive the flanges of car wheels, substantially as shown and for the purposes set forth 2. The combination with a metallic cross tie having at its opposite'ends upon its top upwardly projecting integral enlargements formed with transverse seats, said seats being of slightly less depth than the height of the track rails, and the outer walls of said seats being shaped to engage the outer faces of the base flange, web and head of the track rail, said seats having their inner walls formed with horizontally arranged longitudinally extending grooves and the inner walls of both the seats and the grooves being inclined transversely of the tie whereby said seats are wedge shaped, track rails arranged in said seats and engaged with their outer walls, and substantially rectangular locking blocks driven into said seats and hav ing in their upper faces longitudinally extending grooves to receive the flanges of the car wheels, the outer faces of said block being shaped to engage the outer faces of the base flange and web of the track rail and the bottom face of the head of said rail, and the inner faces of said blocks being formed with longitudinally extending tongues to enter the grooves in the walls of said seats, the tongues on said blocks and the inner faces clined to engage the inner inclined faces of the transverse seats and their grooves, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT LEE MOORHEAD. Witnesses:

T. E. BROWN, FRED B. VAN ATTA.

of the latter being in- 

